Remembrance
by KatrinaHighKick
Summary: Omega-verse. In the anniversary of Hades' attack at the Sanctuary, Seiya and Saori are still trying to cope with the memories.


**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to Masami Kurumada and Toei Animation. Song lyrics belong to The Fray.

**Author's Note:** This story takes place in the Omega universe, but a few years before the fight with Mars began. There's temporary peace at the Sanctuary and Seiya is already the Sagittarius Saint.

**Remembrance**

It was a chilly, gray day at the Sanctuary. The Sun tried to shine flittering rays of hope through the thick clouds, to no avail. The wind refused to blow, only the stillness of the cold air remained, stifling everything around. It was as if the weather mirrored the mood of the Sanctuary on that particular day: another anniversary of the beginning of the battle against Hades. It was on that day, 5 years before, that the Sanctuary had been attacked by Hades' specters. As such, it was the anniversary of the death of some of the mightiest Gold Saints the planet had ever seen. In the years following Athena's victory, the Sanctuary's dwellers would set the day aside to honor the fallen.

At noon, a familiar group of people convened near the lush green fields where the tombs of the deceased Gold Saints were located. Saori Kido, the reincarnation of Athena in the 20th century, made an appearance accompanied by Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, Ikki, Genbu, Kiki, and Marin to pay respects to their fallen comrades. As was custom in Greek tradition, they visited the graves bearing gifts. Saori was the first, depositing an olive branch and a white owl feather upon each grave. Kiki sprinkled Stardust on Mu's and Shion's tombstones. Marin, who had since abdicated her Aquila Cloth, left a small sculpture of a lion and an eagle on Aiolia's grave. On Dohko's grave, Shiryu placed Chinese cakes made by Shunrei and Genbu placed a carafe filled with water from the Seven Peak's waterfall. Hyoga placed an ice-sculpture of a French fleur-de-lis by Camus' tombstone. The group stood there for about an hour, remembering the battles and struggles fought side-by-side with their departed brothers-in-arms, before returning to the Sanctuary.

Throughout the day, the graves were visited by Saints who hadn't been involved in that battle. For them, it was a stark reminder of the responsibility that came with wearing the Cloths, and as such they paid their respects to their predecessors with veneration, wondering whether they'd show as much fortitude and virtue when called to battle as those that came before them.

The group that had been accompanying Saori made their way to Athena's residence by her invitation. Given that some had since moved away to other corners of the world, this was one of the few occasions of the year where they got to get together. Old friends got to reminisce on old times, as well as catch up on what the other was doing. Even Ikki, who would vanish for months without a trace, always made a point of being there to help his brother Shun come to terms with his role in the battle against Hades. While they were all happy to get together and reacquainted, the overall mood was somber as the rest of the day had been.

S~S~S~S~S~S~S~S~S~S~S~S~S

_"I know the memories are rushing into mind_

_I wanna kiss your scars tonight"_

The Sun relinquished its spot in the firmament to the darkness brought by a new Moon. A deafening silence descended upon the Sanctuary as everyone retired to their respective dwellings and temples early in contemplative remembrance.

All seemed tranquil and quiet, but atop the 12 houses in Athena's residence a restless soul was in turmoil. Saori Kido, or Athena for most of the Sanctuary's inhabitants, sat on a plush chair in her sleeping quarters, staring at the horizon impassively, or so it seemed. To the casual observer, she was a vision of regal composure, sitting with perfect posture, dressed in an immaculately white silk nightgown with matching robe. A keener observer, however, would notice the slight fidgeting of anxious fingers against fabric, the occasional biting of a lower lip, the effort to keep an even breathing, and more tellingly, the tempestuousness in usually serene eyes, and surmise that all was not well.

Every evening on this date, year after year, she was unable to shut-out the memories. Memories of a night filled with anxiety, grief, despair, pain, and death. That night when the lord of the Underworld initiated another war. That night when her loyal Gold Saints, her protectors, her _friends_, perished trying to protect her. That night when she learned that, to defeat her enemy, she'd have to commit the ultimate sacrifice. That night when she, willingly, _died_.

A dreadful shiver ran up and down her spine as she relived those moments in her mind. While she may have had faced her destiny with the bravery of a true goddess of war on the night Hades' specters attacked, being reminded of the anguish she felt during the hours leading up to the confrontation that took her life was not something she could easily come to terms with, at least not tonight. For how does one even begin to cope with re-envisioning their own demise? No matter how powerful her divine nature, at the end of the day she was human, and humans were simply not built to easily deal with such circumstances.

Trying to sleep was futile, Olympus knows she'd tried. She was exhausted, mentally and emotionally, but every time her eyes closed, she could see the tip of the golden dagger pointing towards her throat, framed by her own hands steadying Saga's grip on the handle. Saori felt once again the heart-wrenching loneliness that had assailed her back then. A loneliness brought forth by seeing once again how, at the end of the day, the fate of the planet depended on her above all else, and there was no one else that could make the hard decisions and endure the sacrifices for her, not even the most loyal of her Saints. One particular Saint would try to anyway if given the chance, of that she was certain. Saori tried to shake away that feeling of helpless solitude, telling herself that it was all in the past. However, as the clock ticked closer to the 'time of death', she couldn't stand to be alone in her chambers, only to have the memories of that fatidic night unfold before her eyes in the shadows on the walls.

'You don't have to face this alone, not this time... Saori-san.', she thought to herself, but the voice in her head had a far more masculine tone. Indeed, she did not have to be alone, nor did she want to. Focusing her cosmos, she closed her eyes and teleported to a place where she'd feel safe. A place where she knew that **he** would be waiting for her. The one person who could best understand what was haunting her. Someone who had a few demons of his own to deal with, that only she had the power to vanquish.

"Seiya." Saori whispered almost as if in prayer. Opening her eyes, she found herself at the Sagittarius temple, surrounded by dozens of marble columns and torch-lit passageways. Her weary eyes spotted a lone figure, who had been standing by the window looking at the pitch-black sky, turning around to face her.

"Saori-san." The Sagittarius Saint whispered reverently, walking away from the window and towards his visitor. Wearing crimson pajama pants and a white tank-top, Seiya looked like he had been trying to sleep as well, with as much success as Saori had had. They stood in the middle of the main chamber, gazing intently at each other for what seemed like a brief eternity.

To anyone watching the pair from a distance, it would seem that they were in the middle of an intense staring contest. However, the sheer raw emotion contained in their respective regards spoke volumes, though which only the two of them were able to decipher. In the years following the Hades battle they had developed this routine, where she'd come see him on the night of its anniversary and they'd help each other get through the night. It was almost like their own ritual, an unspoken agreement to be there for one another until the day they'd be able to move on from those painful memories.

No words were spoken, they weren't really necessary to express the bond they shared tonight. The bond of two weary souls who had together experienced far too much tragedy and grief at such a young age, seeking solace in each other's company. Two souls who had lost too many loved people... including each other.

There they stood, open, afraid, exposed, vulnerable... Human.

Seiya was the first to break, stroking Saori's face with a trembling hand. She leaned into his tender touch, her eyes fluttering closed for a second to savor his caress, and that simple gesture was enough to soothe his soul.

For Seiya as well this date brought haunting reminders of his own perceived failure, of the despair and misery he felt when he witnessed his one reason to keep fighting perishing in front of him. All day long his mind had been replaying in slow-motion that scene from the night on top of Athena's temple, and all day long his eyes had searched for Saori to ensure that she was really there, and that no golden daggers were to be found within 10 feet of her. So it filled him with no small measure of relief to see her standing there in front of him, showing that in spite of all that had transpired, she was alive. In spite of what he saw as his own failure, she still came to him for support. Not that it ever crossed her mind to lay any blame on him.

Gingerly he pulled Saori by her waist with his other hand and she let herself be guided closer to him. She trailed her fingertips from his forearm to his bulging, well-defined biceps, slid her hands across the expanse of his solid pectoral muscles, which the cotton tank-top did very little to conceal, then enveloped her arms around his broad shoulders.

Taking one step forward, Saori closed the distance between them, resting her head on his shoulder. Seiya took the cue and encircled her waist with one arm while the other wrapped around her slim shoulders, hugging her tightly to his chest. Saori exhaled a long, heavy sigh as his warmth and gentle strength imbued through her, slowly releasing the grip of irrational fear and loneliness from her heart.

Seiya closed his eyes and breathed in her familiar, inebriating sweet scent, sighing in relief as he felt a heavy burden gradually being lifted from his heart as he held her lithe form in his arms. All day long he yearned to have her like this, craved for her soothing touch to assuage his agony.

Saori tightened their embrace, her hands grabbing fistfuls of the shirt on his back as her mind conjured images of how the war initiated by Hades had culminated, with Seiya lying in a pool of his own blood, a long, unholy sword sticking out from his perforated chest. She remembered all too well the helplessness, the despair, the sorrow she had felt when she'd thought she had lost him forever. 'But you didn't', she told herself, 'he's right here.'. One of her hands wandered to the nape of his neck, massaging the muscles she found there while the fingers of the other hand lightly raked through his scalp, playing with his thick, dark hair. Seiya responded by letting the hand that rested on her waist wander underneath her silk robe, drawing tiny circles on her exposed back with his fingers, slowly dragging his lips along the side of her neck. 'Yes', Saori thought as shivers ran down her spine, and nuzzled his neck, allowing herself a small smile for the first time tonight, 'he's here.'.

They stayed locked in a loving embrace for several more minutes. Sometimes their hands would stroke and caress, other times they just hugged really tightly. In that embrace they found everything they had been craving. Comfort. Solace. Reassurance. Support. Love in its purest form.

How much time had passed they did not know, but it was long enough for Seiya to fell a dull ache on his back from hunching over and Saori's bare feet to feel cold from the stone floor.

They pulled away slightly, though not before Saori leaned forward to bestow a loving kiss on the traces of a scar that was peeking out from underneath Seiya's tank-top. Without saying a word, Seiya entwined Saori's fingers with his and led her through the labyrinthine passageways of the Sagittarius temple to his bedroom.

Saori glanced at the large, sturdy yet comfy bed that Seiya had insisted on building himself upon becoming the Sagittarius Saint. It was a much welcome sight. She had fond memories of times when she could afford to escape her duties and spend the night in there with him. It was endearing how he kept a portrait of her on the bed-side table next to what he deemed 'her side', something to keep him company in the many evenings she couldn't be with him.

Seiya stepped behind her and slowly slid her silk robe off of her shoulders. He then adjusted the flimsy shoulder strap of the nightgown she wore underneath, depositing a lingering kiss at the base of her neck, then he draped the robe on the back of a nearby chair. Walking to his side of the bed, he climbed up and pulled back the blankets, beckoning her to join him.

Saori took a moment to take in the scene in front of her, thanking fate in a silent prayer for the unconditional love demonstrated by the man who owned her heart. A man who would cradle her into his arms in the midst of her darkest hour and fill her with warmth and hope.

As if on their own accord, Saori's bare feet crossed the distance between her and the bed. Kneeling on the mattress, she slid her knuckles down Seiya's cheek with a feather-light touch and captured his lips in a sweet, tender kiss. When she pulled back a few seconds later, Seiya pursed his own lips, trying to savor the lingering taste of her kiss for a bit longer.

The couple settled in bed facing each other. Seiya's hand travelled from Saori's waist, up along her spine to rest protectively on the back of her neck. Saori nestled her head against his chest, settling one hand over his steadily beating heart, shielding it from any imaginary cursed swords.

They glanced into each other's tired eyes lovingly one last time. Seiya kissed Saori's lips ever so softly and buried his nose in her hair as they cuddled closer together, bodies melding perfectly.

Saori felt the bonelessness of impending sleep relaxing her muscles. All tension and anxiety seeped away from her body in a long-drawn sigh. For the first time in the past 20 or so hours, she felt completely at ease in the arms of the man she loved.

Seiya's heart was overwhelmed by a sense of absolute tranquility and contentment. Having her snuggled up to him like a sleepy kitten was all he could ever wish for on this night. If he were honest with himself, it was all he could ever wish for on every night, but more so on this one in particular.

Surrounded by darkness, but immersed in comforting, loving affection, they finally found peace for the remainder of the night. In the morning, they'd go back to being brave. In the morning, they'd go back to being heroes and continue to be so for the next 364 days. But for that moment, they let themselves be vulnerable in each other's arms.

_End_

**Author's Note:** I went back and forth on making this an M-rated fic or keeping it PG, but in the end PG won. I wanted to show tenderness and warm fuzzies instead of lust this time around. That's not to say I won't consider writing an M-rated version of this if asked. As always, reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated.


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